Reflections on the Spiritual Life

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Bio

I am a son, husband, brother, and father. I am a friend. I am a pastor, chaplain, and educator. I am an agitator in all these lovely roles.

My wife married me in 2001. We’ve welcomed two boys into our home after nuanced and particular routes; they arrived and didn’t leave and they are beautiful black sons. We’re all born and raised on Chicago’s south side, the original context out of which all my musings come.

For work, I wrote Sunday School curriculum for ten years for the largest independent African-American Christian media company, Urban Ministries. I’ve served in two churches, one a black mega-church on the south side, the other a multi-ethnic church on the northwest side: Sweet Holy Spirit and New Community Covenant.

These days I lead retreats through the Evangelical Covenant Church around ways to pray, the spiritual disciplines, and listening as an inevitable skill in spiritual friendship. I teach as an adjunct faculty member at North Park Theological Seminary, used to at Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary (for 8 years until 2017). I am a chaplain and CPE supervisor at Northwestern Memorial Hospital.

I studied at the University of Illinois (BS in psychology), Wheaton College (MA in theology), and Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary (MDiv). I completed my CPE units at Urban CPE Consortium and NMH. These days I’m in a doctoral course of study in pastoral theology, personality, and culture at GETS.

Thank you for visiting my site and being interested. While I’m writing on this site now, I also have blogs archived about faith and relationships here and fatherhood here. To contact me, email Michael at michaelwashington dot org.